Sleeping Patterns
by Cassiopeia's
Summary: During the time when Leonard's at the North Sea, Sheldon and Penny kind of develop a sleeping pattern that just might have an interesting outcome. Takes place right after Sheldon and Penny's phone call with Leonard in 07x01: The Hofstadter Insufficiency and goes from there.


Howdy folks,

I've never done anything like this before, but it wouldn't leave me alone, so I had to give it a try. Tell me what you think, please.

* * *

 **Sleeping Patterns**

* * *

During the time when Leonard's at the North Sea, Sheldon and Penny kind of develop a sleeping pattern that just might have an interesting outcome. Takes place right after Sheldon and Penny's phone call with Leonard in 07x01: The Hofstadter Insufficiency and goes from there.

* * *

(i)

The first time it happens is right after their phone call with Leonard and Sheldon's involuntarily sweet explanation for her boyfriend's poor behavior.  
Penny misses him terribly and therefore asks Sheldon to spend the night in Leonard's bed. Of course, her whacko of a neighbor instantly starts to throw a fit, even though she's already spent countless nights here. Granted, Leonard has been there as well, but logically speaking it's not really any different. Sheldon, of course, thinks quite the opposite. In the end, her promise to use her own bathroom, not to annoy him during breakfast time in the morning and not to make him regret his generosity, he forces her to sign some papers. Afterwards, she's finally allowed to sleep in Leonard's room. By now she's so tired and annoyed that she is tried to sleep in her own bed after she's showered, but she kinda fears it will cause Sheldon to throw another fit. In the end, she decides to ignore her quirky neighbor and simply snuggle into her boyfriend's bed.

To her surprise, Sheldon is still up when she comes back over, clad in a pair of panties and an old hockey jersey. At her inquiry, he shoots her one of his _looks_. "I don't trust you to secure the apartment accordingly," he tells her, causing Penny to roll her eyes in annoyance.

At that, he shakes his head and even possesses the nerve to sigh. "What I have to put up with concerning you."

Penny rolls her eyes. Again. "Good night, Moonpie," she says and walks down the hall to enter Leonard's bedroom. She quickly shuts the door and climbs into his bed. To her surprise, Sheldon has changed the sheets. While it's quite sweet of him, she'd rather have slept in the old ones which smelled like Leonard. Turning off the light and putting her phone on the bedside table, she closes her eyes and tries to sleep.

An hour and a half into trying, Penny decides sleeping in Leonard's nerdy room without him kinda creeps her out. If they are ever going to live together, the bedroom will have to change. With a sigh, she gets up. Sheldon hasn't made a sound ever since he's closed his bedroom door. She knows he's most likely sleeping in his vampire pose and looking like a dead man. It's creepy as hell.

As quietly as she can she opens her own door and sneaks over to Sheldon's. It makes a quiet noise when she opens it and Penny forces her eyes shut, her body tightening. Miraculously, Sheldon doesn't wake up and Penny opens the door fully. Slipping in, she notices that he's not laying on his back but on his right side and slightly rolled up into a ball. Well, as best as it works, considering his height. His sheets look ridiculously soft in the moonlight. She bets it's bio cotton. Penny can't explain what makes her do it, really. It doesn't take longer than a heartbeat for her to get into his bed and make herself comfortable at his feet. It's warm and nice and comfy. She's instantly asleep.

Of course, when she wakes up she finds Sheldon towering over her and unamusedly glaring down at her. His arms are crossed in front of his chest and he's definitely not impressed.  
"Penny, this is unacceptable. You're in my room. No one can be in my room but me. Penny, you're in my bed," he whines.

She smirks up at him as she gets up and stretches. God, she hasn't slept this good in ages.

"Suck it up, Moonpie. I probably mixed up the rooms when I came back from the bathroom," she lies.

He doesn't look like he believes her but Penny doesn't really care. She's relaxed and slept peacefully and the best part is she doesn't even have to be at work until noon.

* * *

(ii)

The second time it happens, it's entirely _Sheldon's_ fault. Well, maybe not completely, but…yeah.

It's only a few days after the first incident and when Penny goes to check up on him after work, he opens the apartment door before she can try herself. He looks bad and instantly knows what this means: code milky green!

Of course, in true Sheldon fashion he demands soup and a bath (in her tub!), complaining the whole time. Afterwards, he doesn't want to go to bed immediately because he's unlikely to go to work the next day anyway. Instead he forces Penny to endure a Star Trek marathon. The one with the bald, gay guy. Picard or something, but Penny isn't sure. Sheldon spends the time miserably wrapped up in a blankie his Meemaw made for him. He demands a grilled cheese sandwich and even though she knows better she makes him one. It doesn't take long until he feels sick and throws up everything on the blankie. He breaks into tears. It's a horrible evening for both of them because she's constantly torn between feeling annoyed and sympatric.

After he's cleaned up, she puts him to bed. Of course he wants her to sing soft kitty and rub vapo rub counterclockwise on his chest.

"Be aware of my chest hair," he admonishes to which she can only roll her eyes because really, he's got ten hairs there if she's being generous. But Penny knows him and that he feels miserable so she just swallows the nasty comment and smiles reassuringly at him instead. At least she tries.

When his blue eyes drop, she slowly stops rubbing and singing but they reopen and fix her with a pointed look when he notices. The scenario repeats itself so often that at some point, when he _finally_ falls asleep, Penny does as well.

Of course, in the morning Sheldon throws another fit and actually shrieks when he realizes Penny is now sick too. They spend the rest of the day miserable together on his couch. In the evening, Amy comes around for date night which Sheldon apparently completely forgot about and cooks them a healthy meal. They're quite glad.

"Make sure Penny sleeps in her own bed, please," Sheldon says before retiring for the night, making Penny roll her eyes and Amy frown at them in confusion. Penny doesn't bother to explain.

* * *

(iii)

The third time it happens it's more or less voluntarily. It's almost two fifteen, way too late to knock on your neighbor's door, but Sheldon does it anyway. It's one of those nights on which he cannot fall back asleep because his bad dream has been too frightening. In it, Leonard got eaten by the Kraken again, but this time he came back to haunt him. Maybe, Sheldon reflects, watching Pirates of the Caribbean with Penny right before going to bed might not have been his smartest decision because dream Leonard looked suspiciously like Captain Jack Sparrow. In any case, he's unable to fall asleep again, especially in his lonely apartment.

Figuring Penny owes him anyway, he gets up out of his warm bed, slips into his slippers and puts on his robe before grabbing his phone. Sleepily, he makes his way to his apartment door, grabs his keys, unlocks and relocks his door, before he makes his way over to Penny.

He needs to repeat his knocking ritual three times which he finds tremendously satisfying, until a sleepy, complete disheveled Penny opens.

"What?"

Clearly, he must have awoken her because she's very rude. Sheldon tries not to be irritated by this. "I had another bad dream," he tells her, inching forward. He kind of expects her to move to the couch so that he can take over her comfy, yet very female bed again, but apparently, Penny's not on the same page. With a sigh, she steps aside to let him in, but instantly grabs his arm when he tries walking into the direction of her bedroom.

"Sheldon, I've got an early shift. I'm not going to take the couch again."

Perplexed, he gapes at her. "What do you mean? Of course you are going to take the couch. I need proper lumber support during my sleep to be properly relaxed in the morning in order to work. My work is much more important," he rambles desperately.

Penny crosses her arms tighter and grits her teeth. "You're not helping your case, mister."

"Penny," he whines, his voice a little high-pitched, and his left eye even starts twitching.

She rolls her eyes. "Look, Sheldon, I'm too tired for this. Either we share or you take the couch or, which I'm all for by the way, you go back to your own bed. Night." With that she walks around him and goes back to bed.

He's at a loss for what to do. Sheldon starts and stops moving a handful of times before finally, cautiously, stepping into Penny's bedroom. He's already been in here quite a few times, even at night and with Penny in it as well, but never with the intention of sleeping in here with _her present_. Sheldon knows they're shared at least _his_ bed two times already, but with neither of the two occasions he's been happy or even agreeable.

"Sheldon," Penny groans out, making him flinch, "for god's sake! Either get in or out. Three, two-"

Before she can count down to one, he's slipped in. Suddenly, he finds himself seated next to her laying body, his legs stretched under the blankets. He's not entirely sure what made him get in at last. His heart pounds nervously in his chest.

"Night, sweetie," Penny murmurs sleepily and then turns her back towards him.

"Good night, Penny," he replies automatically, before taking in a deep breath and sliding down. When he's finally laying on his back, he realizes he hasn't shared a blanket with someone since his early toddler days (if one ignored the Arctic incident no one was to speak of).

Penny's soft, rhythmic breathing is what finally puts him to sleep. It's comforting and even a little soothing. It makes him forget about his bad dream and relax enough to let sleep overcome him again.

When he wakes up, precisely at six a.m. like he always does, Penny's facing him or rather his shoulder. Apparently, during the night they must have moved closer to each other. He's still on his back, but she's on her right side and her forehead softly rests against his shoulder. To his surprise, it's not entirely uncomfortable. Nonetheless, he gets up because Howard is going to be here soon to pick him up for work. He slips out of bed, unsurprised when Penny merely snorts and continues sleeping, and leaves first her bedroom and then her entire apartment.

When Penny wakes up around eight, there's a still warm cup of coffee on her bedside table. Sharing a bed with Sheldon apparently has its perks.

* * *

(iv)

The fourth time it happens, it's entirely due to exhaustion. It's a Saturday and Sheldon went to the zoo with Amy. Apparently, his favorites, koalas, had _babies_ which he found incredibly cute. Therefore he took what Penny believes to be a thousand pictures which he wants to show and explain to her. All of them. In detail. He's so full of excitement and his blue eyes sparkle happily, so she doesn't have the heart to shut him up. He babbles and babbles while their dinner lays long forgotten on the couch table.

Penny, on the other hand, isn't happy at all. She's had a terrible day at the Cheesecake Factory because her boss is an ass. She had to do a double shift because Mandy couldn't be there and afterwards he told her he needed her to be there on Sunday morning as well. When she told him she couldn't because she'd scheduled a Skype date with her boyfriend who was currently overseas, he told her to suck it up or get another job. Nearly in tears, she tried calling Leonard but he did not answer. Instead he replied two hours later that it was not a big deal because he kinda forgot about their Skype date anyway. She cried for nearly an hour before Sheldon came over, his phone in hand and told her that Amy just dropped him off and started telling her all about his exciting day.

Even though she's had a very bad day, Sheldon's excitement makes her smile a little and because in his clueless, innocent way he even makes her feel a little better, she moves around until her head rests on his lap. Of course, he totally freezes and stares down at her.

"Penny? What are you doing?" He arches his brow and frowns.

"I had a bad day and listening to you babbling about baby koalas makes it better. So shut up and go on."

His face scrunches up in confusion. "Penny, that's entirely impossible and I don't know if I feel comfortable with the current position of your skull."

She smirks at that. "Don't worry, Moonpie. I'm not gonna blow on you."

He blinks. "Why would you? I don't have an ouchie."

She snorts, then quickly bites her lip to stop herself from laughing out loud. Sometimes she really forgets how clueless and innocent he really is. "Never mind, sweetie," she tells him, "just continue your story, please."

His blue eyes fix her for a moment longer before he gives her a confirming nod and accepts their new position.  
"Very well," he states and in fact continues with his story. At some point, his right hand even ends up resting on her shoulder.

In the end it's physical exhaustion on his part and emotional one on hers that puts them both to sleep on her couch. In the morning he makes her another cup of coffee and she drinks it thankfully while he munches his cereal. It's awfully domestic and so very easy that it doesn't even occur to Penny that it should rather be weird instead.

* * *

(v)

The fifth time it happens Penny actually asks for it. She's home after another long day at the Cheesecake Factory and it's two days after Sheldon's day at the zoo and his koala baby pictures. Leonard still hasn't called her back which somehow tells her that something's not right. She decides to stalk him on Facebook (which silently makes her wonder _when_ she turned into _that_ kind of person) and after searching for a while, she finds it. It feels a little like time actually stands still and like someone punched her in the gut. She's unable to force her shocked gaze away from the picture and its offending content. It's taken from afar, but she still can clearly make out Leonard with his tongue deep down some girl's throat. It's apparently been shot during a party and she supposes he was quite drunk.

Penny feels the urge to throw up. She's so hurt because she really thought Leonard to be one of the good guys, but the photo tells her everything she needs to know. Her first instinct is to get out and drunk, pick up a guy who'll make her feel pretty again, but she's matured enough by now to know it won't help in the long run.

Instead she gets up and enters 4A, even though she knows Sheldon's probably almost ready for bed by now. Penny's right so far that he's already dressed for the night but he's also standing in the kitchen. Upon her entrance, he looks up and gestures for her to come closer. It makes her realize he's making milk with honey and it smells deliciously.

"It's for you," he tells her, causing her to stare up at him in confusion. "I know about Leonard. Howard told me earlier. I was going to come over with this," he explains, pointing to the almost boiling milk on the stove, "and see if you had already seen it."

She's so insanely thankful for him right now that she just steps forward and hugs him. He awkwardly pats her back with a stiff "there, there", before he steps away to finish his cooking.

Penny's got tears in her eyes, this time for entirely different reasons. Sheldon might not be good with people, but tonight he, maybe even unconsciously, chose her over Leonard and it's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for her.

"Sheldon? Can I stay with you tonight?" It's out of her mouth before she can hold back the words but Sheldon seems to be neither surprised nor shocked. Instead he just nods in acceptance.

When she wakes up, cuddled up to him, she feels better and decides to make him breakfast as a thank you. Apparently, she gets everything right because Sheldon blinds her with a beautiful smile when he meets her in the kitchen.

"Thank you, Penny," he says happily and somehow, the way he says her name makes her belly feel funny. It's unsettling and nice at the same time.

* * *

(vi)

The sixth time it happens is after Halo night. It's a night she enjoys a lot because it's kind of like in the beginning of her friendship with the guys. Bernadette and Amy aren't with them at first because they both need to work late that night.

Penny teams up with Sheldon and they are out to destroy Howard and Raj. As always, Sheldon isn't exactly a gracious winner but this time it doesn't bother her so much because she's on his team.

"I swear you two are secretly practicing," Howard complains, causing Sheldon's grin to become even smugger.

"Wolowitz, we're just good with our fingers," he replies, making Penny choke on her drink and the other two boys snicker. Of course, as usual, Sheldon is completely oblivious to his own innuendo.

Around half past nine, Amy and Bernadette join them, but the game is still on. Raj is enough of a gentleman to vacate his spot next to Penny on the couch for Amy to sit. Bernadette sits down with Howard in the arm chair Leonard usually occupies.

"Hi Sheldon," Amy greets him over Penny and he shoots her a quick smile before refocusing on the game.

"Penny, I need you to move – yes, just like this," he comments while his fingers continue to move around on his controller.

Howard and Raj snicker again, causing Penny to shoot them a warning glare. She takes another sip of her iced tea because she's thirsty and it's yummy.

"Penny, stop drinking so much. There's no time for potty time," her quirky neighbor admonishes.

She rolls her eyes, but it's only two minutes later that she knows he was right. Quickly, she puts the controller into Amy's hands. "Here, Ames, I need to pee."

Getting up, she puts a hand onto Sheldon's shoulder to steady herself as she climbs over him.

"Penny," he instantly whines, "you can't go now. I need you, not Amy."

She squeezes her eyes shut. Is this only in her head or did this really sound like…doesn't he hear himself at all? Penny nearly runs into the bathroom and washes her face with ice cold water. It's probably just her and her stupid overactive mind. She's still feeling weird because of the whole Leonard-kissing-another-girl thing. It's not like Sheldon understands sexual innuendos anyway.

When she gets back, Sheldon practically shoves the controller back into her hands and soon, Penny is so engrossed in the game again that she doesn't really think about her confusing feelings anymore. However she notices how Amy keeps watching them.

It's almost ten when Bernadette says she wants to go home. Sheldon, for a second, looks like he wants to protest, but Amy quickly reminds him of his bed time. Penny has to bite back a smile.

Soon, Bernadette, Howard, Raj and Amy are gone. Penny helps Sheldon clean up because since Leonard isn't here to help him she thinks it's unfair to leave him alone with the mess.

When they've finished, Sheldon looks pointedly at her. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Are you coming? It's past my bed time." His head points into the direction of his bedroom.

She doesn't exactly know what makes her follow him, but ten minutes later, she's under his covers again. They're asleep in a heartbeat.

In the morning, when Penny finds herself all cuddled up to him, it's when she realizes they might have a problem.

* * *

(vii)

The seventh time it happens things are kind of spinning out of control. Sheldon spends the evening with the guys watching Indiana Jones. She's heard them crying out in delight a few times which she can't understand at all. Harrison Ford isn't exactly her all time favorite actor.

Penny spends the day with the girls at her place, gossiping and getting drunk. She is still feeling…something over Leonard and him kissing someone else and a whole lot of weirdness because of Sheldon. They have been spending almost every evening together and their secretly established sleeping pattern has kind of become…something. She isn't sure what exactly. Three days ago he even cancelled date night with Amy so they could play Age of Conan together. Her friend was not happy. Penny knows she isn't exactly being a good friend, but she can't help it. She kinda loves her time with Sheldon. Penny knows she's calling for trouble and Sheldon probably doesn't even realize what they're doing looks like.

"You know what I hate?", Bernadette suddenly shrieks, pulling Penny effectively out of her thoughts. They are all ridiculously tipsy by now.

"Sometimes, when we're holding hands, Howie moves his so it doesn't look like we're couple. You know? Like mommies and daddies hold their children's hands. It creeps me out."

"I don't know why you're complaining," Amy replies, "Sheldon won't hold my hand at all. Or hug me or anything." She sounds kind of depressed and Penny feels sorry for her which is probably why she opens her big, drunken mouth.

"You should have a sleepover, Ames. When we do, Sheldon usually cuddles with me."

Both, Amy and Bernadette stare at her and while Bernie's eyes widen comically behind her glasses, Amy's expression darkens. "You and Sheldon are having an affair," she accuses, her voice loud and high.

Penny gapes at her. "What? We _don't_!"

"Of course. It's been going on for weeks. The touching, the talking. You're always spending time together. You haven't even really cried because of Leonard. It's clear now you didn't have to because you already had a new boyfriend. Mine!"

"That's not true," Penny protests, but Amy won't have any of it. Instead she gets up, surprisingly steady on her legs, and marches over to 4A. Penny wants to follow her, make her stop before she causes a scene, but Bernadette holds her back.

"Tell me now," the tiny blonde demands, "what's going on between you and Sheldon."

Nothing, is what Penny wants to reply, but upon Bernie's look, she gives up. "I don't know. Probably nothing and it's all in my head."

"Bullshit," Bernadette promptly disagrees, "we all were there the other day. And what's with the sleeping together thing?"

Somehow, the last minutes have rapidly sobered her. She hides her face in her hands and lets out a groan. "I don't know. He's always warm and soft and smells good. It's nice. I don't know how it happened."

"Oh dear, please don't tell me you actually have feelings for Sheldon?!"

Thunderstruck, Penny drops her hands and stares at her friend. "I don't…do I?"

They don't get to discuss it further because suddenly Sheldon is standing in the doorway and looks terribly confused. "What on earth is going on here? Amy Farrah Fowler just…ended our relationship, I believe." He looks adorably unsure and Penny knows she's got it bad.

Oh damn.

Bernadette gets up. "I'll leave you to it."

Penny believes she's going to get Howard and Raj home and then check up on Amy. Penny gestures for Sheldon to come in and sit down. He does, but the look on his face is still a mixture of confusion and expectation.

"I'm sorry," she tells him, nervously knotting her fingers.

"Why?"

Avoiding his blue eyes, Penny tells him. How she's kinda let it slip that they've been sharing a bed and how Amy believes she's been stealing her boyfriend.

His expression doesn't change much, but step by step the confusion vanishes and he appears to grasp the concept.  
When she's silent again, he mulls something over in his head for a while. Penny uses the time to take him in. His skin looks soft. She finds she wants to touch him. Her heart pounds stronger in her chest.

"What is the exact definition of an affair", he asks suddenly, causing her belly to drop.

"Uh…seeing someone else while you're already in a relationship with someone else, I guess."

He gives her a nod. "And what are the exact parameters of 'seeing someone'?"

She opens and closes her mouth a couple of times before she sighs. "Sheldon, don't think-"

"Just answer my question, please," he cuts her off.

With her heart pounding, she sighs again. "Fine. It means spending a lot of time with someone, having sleepovers. Kiss, get intimate. Have feelings for each other. That sort of thing."

Sheldon gives her another nod. The calm way he watches her kinda unnerves her. Then, suddenly, he opens his mouth. "Penny, I believe I would like us to participate on an experiment."

Confused, Penny meets his blue eyes. "Come again?"

"I haven't done this before, so I need to rely on your expertise."

What? What on earth is he talking about? Crap, she even sounds like him by now!

He rolls his eyes in exasperation. "Penny, really, keep up. I'm talking about kissing of course."

She gapes, her jaw dropping. " _What_?"

"I want to see if Amy is right. Apart from kissing and coitus we _do_ seem to be seeing each other. If we kiss now and find we like it, it'll mean Amy was right. If that is the matter I will owe her an apology. If it's not, she will own me one."

Is he actually serious? That is what this whacko's mind is focusing on?

"That's a lot of ifs," Penny ends up saying because she doesn't have a clue what else she's supposed to reply to that.

He shoots her a disapproving glare. "Penny, I'm on a mission here. As my friend and possible affair I believe your job is to support me." He closes is blue eyes, takes what she thinks is meant to be a calming breath before opening them again.  
"Now, please come closer and provide me with data."

Damn, she's going to go to hell for this, but she actually leans in and presses her experienced lips to his innocent ones. He gasps a little and for a second she thinks he's going to move away, but instead he leans forwards and kisses her back, purely on instinct. They experiment for a little while and it's sweet, hot, tingly and toe curling. Penny doesn't want it to stop. Ever.

But Sheldon has other ideas. He breaks the kiss, stands up and moves to go.

"Where are you going?", Penny asks bewildered.

"To Amy. I owe her an apology."

Two hours later, Sheldon knocks on her door. He's clad in his PJ's and has apparently finished his nightly routines.  
"I'm upset and had an emotional day. Make me milk with honey before we go to bed."

With her heart pounding, she does. Half an hour later they are in her bed. They both fall asleep quickly, holding hands.

* * *

(viii)

The eighth time it happens it's because of exhaustion again. This time it's the nice kind though. Penny has teased and tempted poor Sheldon for days and apparently even asexual Sheldon Cooper does have a breaking point because they end up in one wild, sweaty, hot and extremely satisfying mess. He was right. He really is good with his fingers.

* * *

(ix)

The ninth time it happens is after a nasty fight. They have been _dating_ for six weeks now and everybody kind of knows about it, but they're all sworn to secrecy because Penny and Sheldon want to tell Leonard themselves.  
Which is actually the reason for their fight. While Sheldon wants to tell his roommate during the next scheduled Skype call on Sunday, Penny wants to wait until they can do it in person. It's only ten days until Leonard will be back and while she kinda broke up with him after she found the picture, Penny somehow knows Leonard will try to win her back. The whole thing is somehow uncomfortable, so she doesn't want to deal with it.

The fight is bad, loud and painful because it's honestly not really about telling Leonard but about the fact that they both aren't sure about the other's feelings. Penny doesn't know if Sheldon feels anything at all and he fears her not wishing to tell Leonard means that she still has feelings for his roommate.

In the end, Penny is the one to really talk. They've gone angry to bed, separately, but she can't sleep. She gets up and walks over into 4A. When she reaches his bedroom, it's dark inside but he's still awake. Penny quickly slips under his covers.

"What is it that we're doing, sweetie?", she asks into the quiet darkness of his bedroom.

"We are seeing each other."

"Yeah, but…do you…is this…," she trails off, frustrated. She doesn't know how to voice her thoughts.

"Are you asking if it means something to me?", he asks, unusually perceptive for once.

"I guess. You've never had any interest in anything remotely close to this."

"Agreed," he says quietly, "but my perspective on this has changed, Penny. Your significance to me has changed. But I have never done this before. I don't know what's expected of me."

"You need me to guide you," Penny realizes at once. She feels him nod.

"I am afraid that…your wish not to tell Leonard means you are not sure about our new kind of relationship and that you might still have feelings of romantic nature for Leonard."

His voice sounds hoarse and is barely audible, but she hears it and her heart aches for him.

"No, sweetie," she tries to sooth him quickly, "it's not that at all. I just don't know how to tell Leonard that while he kissed someone else, for which I'm still furious, I kinda fell for his best friend. What if he still has feelings for me? And…I guess…a part of me keeps on wondering why you even want to be with me." The last part is spoken rather quietly.

Sheldon's hand slips into hers under the blanket. "So…you want to be with me and I want to be with you in a boyfriend-girlfriend-relationship and even though Leonard betrayed you, you still care enough about him to hate causing him pain."

"Yeah."

She feels Sheldon move until he's laying on his side, facing her. "Why on earth did you not tell me that?"

She arches one eyebrow. "Well, you aren't exactly forthcoming with your feelings, are you?", she shoots back.

Penny hears him take in a breath. "Very well," he concedes quietly and through the darkness he looks straight at her. It makes her heart pound strongly.  
"Penny, I want us to be in a romantic relationship. Exclusively."

She smiles. "I want that, too." She leans over and kisses his cheek. "Are we okay now?"

He nods, letting his fingers ghost over her waist. "Good night, Penny."

"Night, sweetie."

* * *

(x)

The tenth time it happens it's due to Leonard's misplaced anger. When Penny and Sheldon tell him of their relationship he is angry and shouts. It's completely out of line considering she broke up with him after _he_ cheated on her. But he keeps on going on about some guy code and how Sheldon _can't_ date her.

In the end, penny suggests they sleep at her place because Leonard can't be unreasonable there. In the darkness of her bedroom, Sheldon cuddles up to her and admits into her neck that he doesn't want to lose Leonard's friendship.

Penny promises him he won't. She'll make sure of that.

* * *

(xi)

The first time they don't sleep together after that is the night before their wedding. Sheldon, as a creature of compulsive habit, has made sure they haven't been apart for even one night for the past year.  
Now though, on the night of their respective bachelor parties he knows it can't be helped because Penny says it's tradition. He's not even remotely happy about it because it means he won't be able to fall asleep once his friends have let him go to bed.

They spent the evening playing vintage as well as new video games of various platforms and genres and all in all, it's been an enjoyable evening. It's around three and he's just slipped under his covers when his phone indicates an incoming call. He notices it's Penny and quickly answers.

"Moonpie," she slurs as soon as he's able to hear her, "Miss ya."

His heart jumps a little at her admission, but he points out: "You have seen me approximately fifteen hours ago and are going to meet me in seven."

"Too long," she pouts, "I wanna come see you."

A part of his is annoyed by the smile that slowly forms around his lips. "You wouldn't be happy with me in the morning if I were to allow this."

"Shel'n," she whines, clearly drunk, "I'm in bed an' lonely."

He's helpless for a moment. "I could sing you soft kitty until you fall asleep," he offers at last.

His drunk soon-to-be-wife agrees quickly and while Sheldon tiredly starts singing, he really hopes the rest of their lives will be worth this disruption of his nightly routine.

It is.


End file.
